See what I mean. That was insightful, and exceptionally well thought out, and brought something to mind about story telling in general and novel writing in particular.

Novel’s aren’t easy. You’re trying to tell a story over 100 thousand words, and no one on Earth can know ahead of times what those words will be ahead of time. The first draft is an exploration for the writer as for the reader, and even when the final draft is completed, there’s still 100k words on the page. There’s a lot of room for interpretation in those words. Ever read a novel twice and come away with a whole new impression? That’s the effect in action, and here we see that again.

I doubt the writers of Friends had that particular sub narrative in mind when they were writing, but that’s how it came out, and now I can’t unsee it. It makes sense (and also makes Ross all that more pathetic… although he’s into dinosaurs, so he’s still my favourite). But the process of crafting such a rich world of deep, believable character, such unintended subplots are unanticipated and welcome. That’s something that makes long form story telling – Such as long-time overarching TV shows or novels – so special. There’s always more if we’re willing to look.